Low-income subdivision to break ground next month

Tuesday

Oct 23, 2012 at 10:05 AM

Plans for an east Houma subdivision for low-income families are getting under way after more than three years of deliberation.

Chance RyanStaff Writer

Plans for an east Houma subdivision for low-income families are getting under way after more than three years of deliberation.The Terrebonne Parish Council approved a $2.7 million loan, using federal hurricane recovery money, for the development of the Parkwood Place Subdivision.The council met Monday as its Community Development and Planning Committee. It is expected to give final approval to the loan when it meets as the full council Wednesday evening.Houma developer S.P. LaRussa plans to develop a residential community containing 226 lots on about 44 acres on East Street, between Senator Street and Memory Lane. The loan would pay to install infrastructure such as roads, drainage and sewerage.LaRussa said he hopes to break ground in November and start building homes by March.Fifty-one percent of the homes will be sold to households making up to 80 percent of the area’s median income or less. For a family of four, that means an annual income of $45,000 or less. For a single person, the threshold is $29,950.Parkwood Place would be a subdivision consisting of curb and gutter streets, underground utilities, community sewerage, sidewalks, landscaping, fencing and green spaces. The traditional, “stick-built homes are designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The home sizes would range from 1,100 to 1,500 square feet and would cost between $125,000 and $135,000. They would be financed through existing first-time homebuyer programs.“This is part of the Community Development Recovery money we received after Hurricane Gustav and Ike to reinvest $5 million for affordable home ownership, and this is the first project we’re doing,” said Council Chairwoman Arlanda Williams.LaRussa said he is excited about wrapping up the project. All local labor and materials will be used in the construction of the subdivision, he said.“It’s been a slow process, but this subdivision is badly needed in Terrebonne,” LaRussa said. “This place has been neglected all my life, but this subdivision will change that.”